Airplane



B60211938. s. HILMY y 2,141,984

AIRPLANE Filed Feb. 18, 1955 Patented ec. 27, 1938 STATES PATENT OFF Application February 18, 1935, Serial No. 7,092 In Great Britain February 20, 1934 3 Claims.

I have filed application for Letters Patent in Great Britain No. 5644/34 on the 20th February 1934.

The present invention relates to airplanes and 5 is concerned particularly with the problem of reducing the head resistance which is probably the most important factor bearing on the maximum speed of a given machine. It has long been recognized that the wings themselves are responsible for a great part of such resistance and this is particularly unfortunate in view of the fact that much smaller wings could be used were it not that the stalling speed is correspondingly raised and witthis in mind it has been suggested to use retractable wings so as to reduce the resistance whilst actually in ilight.

The object of my invention, however, is to enable the wings to be dispensed with almost 20 entirely, Whilst in no way increasing the stalling speed.

With this end in view the present invention consists in providing an airplane with an inclined longitudinal lifting surface of relatively 25 small width disposed above the fuselage to which it is attached at a point towards the tail and beneath which the airstream normally enters to provide lift. In order to enable the head resistance to be reduced means are provided for pre- 30 venting at will the entry of said air-stream. This may be effected either by screening the gap aicrded at the forward end of the lifting surface so as to deflect the air-stream along its top or by arranging for the lifting surface to be adjustable so that it can be lowered on to the top of the fuselage or by a combination of the two methods. In this connection also the lifting surface can be formed to correspond with the contour of the fuselage so as to be capable of 40 lying flush therewith when lowered.

The lifting surface thus provided enables wings, as such, to be entirely or largely dispensed with, but in order to keep the machine balanced on an even keel, rudimentary wings carrying the 45 usual ailerons are provided and these may be utilized as engine housings and for the storage of petrol.

For the better understanding of the invention reference will now be made to the constructional 50 embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:-

YFig. l is a perspective View of a cabin-type airplane constructed in accordance with the invention.

55 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the airplane shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View showing a modification of the invention.

In the example illustrated the fuselage l is of the cabin type and is provided with an upper surface 2 which is slightly curved longitudinally 5 and laterally and at or towards the rear end of which the lifting surface 3 is pivotally mounted. Said lifting surface 3 extends forwardly the greater part of the length of the fuselage l, and

is carried at an intermediate point by struts #l adapted to support it in an inclined position. Said struts however are adjustable in height so as to enable the lifting surface 3 to occupy any position between the limits indicated and preferably controlled by suitable lever, screw or other mechanism from inside the fuselage. The precise form of the controlling mechanism obviously be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, but by way of example it may be mentioned that the adjustable strut may be pivotally connected to the fuselage 3 shown in Fig. 2 and may be hydraulically operated by a piston working in a cylinder 6 and connected to an arm 5 associated with the strut, the admission of fluid to the cylinder being controlled in any known way, as by the operation of a pedal or hand lever. The rear end of the lifting surface in this case would be slidably as well as pivotally connected to the fuselage at ifi, say by engagement with rail members. This arrangement has the advantage of imparting a combined upward and forward movement to the lifting surface and thus keeping the centre of pressure approximately constant. If desired however, the struts could be reciprocated to give a straight lift.

In order to keep the machine balanced on an even keel, rudimentary wings 'i carrying the usual ailerons 7X are provided and these are utilized as engine housings and for the storage 40 of petrol.

To enable the rear end of the lifting surface 3 to be spaced somewhat from the fuselage when in the inclined position and thus afford an outlet for the air which gathers beneath it, and incidentally direct the air stream on to the rudder 8 and elevators 9, the rear end of the lifting surface is cut out as shown so that as soon as it is raised an aperture is formed for the passage of the air.

In an alternative arrangement, however, the rear end of the lifting surface may be attached to a pivoted link on the fuselage, this link being substantially shorter than the strut 4, the raising of the lifting surface to the inclined position being effected either by exerting a forward pull thereon or by exerting a turning moment on the links as before.

In use, the lifting surface 3 is adjusted to the inclined position when taking-off or when flying slowly, but as the speed increases and the necessity for an extensive lifting surface grows smaller, the lifting surface is brought closer to its position flush with the top of the fuselage and at high speeds actually reaches this position, the lift on the fuselage l and on the rudimentary wings 'f carrying the ailerons being sufficient to sustain the aircraft in flight, so long as this speed is maintained.

In this connection the forward end of the fuselage may be slightly raised to constitute a fixed shield or rib I l behind which the lifting surface 3 fails when in its lowest position so that the joint between said lifting surface and the fuselage is then sealed. Alternatively, the forward end of the lifting surface may be curved to t over the forward edge of the fuselage when in the lowered position.

Instead of employing an adjustable lifting surface 3 the latter may be fixed and a flap l2 provided on the forward end of the fuselage as shown in Fig. 3, this flap when raised say by hydraulic means i3, screening the opening in front of the lifting surface.

It will be appreciated that the curve or camber of the lifting surface 3 may be varied considerably from that shown and further that although the lifting surface 3 is illustrated as being of the same width as the fuselage l its width may be increased, particularly at the forward end, so as to overhang the fuselage and thus take the place, wholly or partly, of the rudimentary wings 1.

If desired the lifting surface 3 may be provided with one or more transverse slots.

It will be understood that the lifting surface need not extend rearwardly the full length of the fuselage as shown and also that it can be applied to airplanes of other than cabin type.

I claim:

1. The combination with a fuselage housing of an airplane having rudimentary lateral wings; of a Wing normally resting on top of said housing, said wing normally extending from a point adjacent the front of the housing top to a point adjacent the rear end of the housing top and conforming in width to said housing top, means operatively engaging the forward part of said wing to raise its forward end and incline the wing upward from front to rear, and an operating mechanism for said means.

2. The combination with a fuselage housing of an airplane having rudimentary lateral wings; of a wing normally resting on top of said housing, said wing normally extending from a point adjacent the front of the housing top to a point adjacent the rear end of the housing top and conforming in width to said housing top, longitudinally slotted guides at the rear of the housing between which the rear end of the wing rests, pins projecting from the rear corners of the wing and engaging in the guide slots, links pivoted to and connecting the forward parts of the housing and wing, and means to swing said links about their pivotal connection to the housing and thereby to cause the front of the wing to move forwardly and upwardly to position the wing for service.

3. The combination with a fuselage housing of an airplane having rudimentary lateral wings; of a wing normally resting on top of said housing, said wing normally extending from a point adjacent the front of the housing top to a point adjacent the rear end of the housing top and conforming in width to said housing top, means operatively engaging the forward part of said wing to raise its forward end and incline the wing upward from front to rear, and an operating mechanism for said means, said wing having its rear end cut away to provide an air escape opening at the said rear end when the Wing is raised.

SALEH HILMY. 

